CHARITY CORNER

VISION

ILRF works for a world where workers have the power to speak out and organize to defend and advance their rights and interests; a world where workers have the right to form unions and bargain collectively to secure a safe and dignified life for themselves and their families; and a world where everyone is free from discrimination, forced labor and child labor.

VALUES

ILRF works with allies and networks around the world – labor unions, consumer activists, religious and community-based organizations, human rights organizations, and student groups – to demand dignity and justice for workers. We build transnational campaigns in consultation with the workers who stand to benefit directly. And we have long term partnerships in key countries with the groups most committed to worker empowerment and able to advocate solutions.Please support this worthy cause. In the link you will find ongoing campaigns that you might wish to join.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides
a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a
difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This
link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if
you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the
list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you
need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival
International could be forthcoming.
This week we raise the issue of forced development and its deadly effect on uncontacted tribes. Please open the links and post them wherever you can.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle
against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your
attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers'
supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS

This is the time of year to take action on human rights in a big way.

Amnesty International offers its Write for Rights program. Write like someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes a letter can change
someone’s life. That’s the premise of Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global
letter-writing campaign. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest human
rights events.
Every December, Amnesty supporters across the globe will write millions
of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. They
are people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to
right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.

PAKISTAN

Human rights defender Wahid Baloch has been released more than
four months after suspected enforced disappearance by state security
forces in Karachi. No information about his situation or whereabouts had
been communicated to his family throughout the ordeal.

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Urgent Action: Twenty Activists Arrested After Peaceful Sit-In

Twenty activists of the youth movement Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) were arrested during a peaceful sit-in in the city of Goma on 21 December. They were protesting against President Kabila’s stay in power beyond the end of his second mandate on 19 December. Please call for their immediate release.

CHINA

Urgent Action Update: Activist Arrested For "Leaking State Secrets"

Huang Qi, founder of Sichuan-based website “64 Tianwang” (www.64tianwang.com), who has not been heard from since he was taken away on 28 November, has been formally arrested for “leaking state secrets”. He still does not have access to a lawyer.

Urgent Action Update: Missing Lawyer Is Said To Be In Police Custody

Beijing human rights lawyer Jiang Tianyong, last heard from on 21 November, is said to be in held in police custody for allegedly “leaking state secrets”. His whereabouts remain unknown and, without access to a lawyer, he is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.

Please act for them.

BRAZIL

in line with the country's wave of attacks on labor rights, the
president of the largest University in Brazil, the University of São
Paulo (USP), Marco Antônio Zago, is stubbornly pursuing his declared
project to ‘eliminate trade unionism on campus’. Please support the workers.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Disclaimer: Any ads or commercial material appearing with this blog have been placed there without permission of the owner of the blog. Please ignore them.

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

EMBASSY FINDER

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country. http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER

This week we refer you to the

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel

Established in 1972, ACRI is Israel’s oldest and largest human rights organization and the only one dealing with the entire spectrum of rights
and civil liberties issues in Israel and the Occupied Territories. An
independent and non-partisan organization, ACRI’s mandate is to ensure
Israel’s accountability and respect for human rights, by addressing
violations committed by the Israeli authorities in Israel, the Occupied
Territories, or elsewhere.

ACRI is committed to promoting the universality of human rights and
defending the human rights and civil liberties of all, regardless of
religion, nationality, gender, ethnicity, political affiliation, sexual
orientation, or socioeconomic background.
Since its inception, ACRI has been consistently successful in
bringing precedent-setting litigation to the Supreme Court and has
contributed significantly to the protection of human rights in Israel
and in the Occupied Territories. ACRI has built a solid reputation for
professionalism and integrity and is widely respected within the legal
community, and among decision makers, the media and the public at large.
This reputation enhances ACRI’s ability to make a real and lasting
difference.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides
a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a
difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This
link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if
you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the
list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you
need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival
International could be forthcoming.
This week we raise the issue of forced development and its deadly effect on uncontacted tribes. Please open the links and post them wherever you can.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle
against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your
attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers'
supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS

This is the time of year to take action on human rights in a big way.

Amnesty International offers its Write for Rights program. Write like someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes a letter can change
someone’s life. That’s the premise of Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global
letter-writing campaign. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest human
rights events.
Every December, Amnesty supporters across the globe will write millions
of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. They
are people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to
right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.

SOUTH SUDAN

Four More Arbitrarily Detained

Two of the 30 men who had been in arbitrary detention in the prison at the National Security Service (NSS) headquarters were released. At least five more were detained, but one of them was released on 17 December. There are currently at least 32 men arbitrarily detained in the NSS prison. Please call for their immediate release from arbitrary detention.

CUBA

Urgent Action Update: Demand Release Of Cuban Graffiti Artist

Cuban graffiti artist Danilo Maldonado Machado (‘El Sexto’) has been transferred to another new detention center where he continues to be detained without charge since his arrest on 26 November. He is a prisoner of conscience who must be released immediately and unconditionally. Please act on his behalf.

TURKEY

Take Action! - Massive Crackdown On Media After July Coup Attempt

Nine journalists and board members of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet were imprisoned pending trial on 4 November. At least 112 journalists and other media workers have been remanded in pre-trial detention since the 15 July coup attempt and the declaration of the state of emergency on 21 July. A total of 169 media outlets have been shut down during the same period by executive decree. Please call for their release and the restoration of press freedom.

NICARAGUA

Stop criminalizing labor protest, drop the charges

Twelve workers are awaiting sentencing, and could receive up to three
years in prison, for protesting against the dismissal of union
representatives. The workers were arrested in June 2016 when riot police
stormed a peaceful protest outside the Korean-owned SAE-A Tecnotex
factory in a free trade zone in Tipitapa, Nicaragua. The union leaders
were dismissed after raising concerns about drinking water and
production targets.
Please click and protest for them.

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Disclaimer: Any ads or commercial material appearing with this blog has been placed there without permission of the owner of the blog. Please ignore them.

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

EMBASSY FINDER

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country. http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER

The news from Syria is heart-rending. Syrian families are facing impossible choices as they try to survive intensifying violence. There are risks at every turn, and parents worry whether they will see their children for another day. The circumstances are unimaginable.

These families can't wait -- and we need your help to rush food and essential supplies to them and so many other families in crisis. Please donate to the Mercy Corps who are on hand in Syria and doing what can be done to help these poor people who are being driven from their homes, gunned down by fanatics and struggling to survive.

No choice but to flee

The insurgents had surrounded her village. Armed fighters were
rushing toward them, filling the air with bullets and killing
indiscriminately. Nearby homes went up in flames with families still
inside them.
Adama had to make a split-second decision: Stay and pray the violence spared her family, or take her nine children and run. She fled, but for those trying to escape Aleppo that option is even more dangerous.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides
a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a
difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This
link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if
you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the
list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you
need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival
International could be forthcoming.
This week we raise the issue of :

Uncontacted tribes

Uncontacted tribes are the most vulnerable peoples on the
planet. We know very little about them. But we do know there are more
than a hundred around the world.
All uncontacted tribal peoples
face catastrophe unless their land is protected. We're doing everything
we can to secure their land for them, and to give them the chance to
determine their own futures.
Please donate to help them.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle
against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your
attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers'
supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS

This is the time of year to take action on human rights in a big way.

Amnesty International offers its Write for Rights program. Write like someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes a letter can change
someone’s life. That’s the premise of Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global
letter-writing campaign. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest human
rights events.
Every December, Amnesty supporters across the globe will write millions
of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. They
are people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to
right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.

GOOD NEWS

MALTA LEADS THE WAY

Malta has become the first country in Europe
to ban gay conversion therapy after the parliament in Valetta
unanimously approved a bill outlawing attempts to “cure” homosexuals of
their sexuality.
Under the new Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and
Gender Expression Act, anyone found guilty of trying to “change, repress
or eliminate a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or
gender expression” will face fines or a jail sentence.

The new law states that ‘no sexual orientation, gender identity or
gender expression constitutes a disorder, disease or shortcoming of any
sort’.
Photograph: Raul Arboleda/AFP/Getty Images

USA

Urgent Action: Demand Clemency For Leonard Peltier

Native American activist Leonard Peltier has been imprisoned in the USA for over 40 years despite concerns over the fairness of his trial. President Obama must grant him clemency before he leaves office. Please act for him.

Myanmar

Urgent Action: Health Concern For Prisoner Of Conscience

Aung Win Hlaing, a member of the National Democratic Force party in Myanmar, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for a Facebook post critical of the President. He is a prisoner of conscience who must be immediately and unconditionally released. Please raise your voice for him.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani youth activist Bayram Mammadov was sentenced to 10 years in prison on 8 December for a graffiti protest. Fellow activist Giyas Ibrahimov was also sentenced to 10 years in prison on 25 October. They are prisoners of conscience and should be released immediately. Please demand their immediate release.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

HE WHO PERMITS OPPRESSION PERMITS CRIMES.-Erasmus (1466-1536)

Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger. The Greek and Latin words on the book translate to "The Herculean Labors of Erasmus of Rotterdam".

EMBASSY FINDER

Survival International provides a useful tool for locating the embassy of any country in your country. http://embassy.goabroad.com/ You can also find embassies at https://embassy-finder.com/

CHARITY CORNER

This week we are promoting a local charity that fills a vital function. It is Hillel, the Right to Choose, which is marking its 25th anniversary this week.. The mission statement:"Hillel is an Israeli-nonprofit dedicated to helping young adults who have left the ultra-orthodox world lead successful lives as members of Israeli society. We believe that all people have the right to choose the lifestyle they want, and we therefore never try to convince anybody to change their lifestyle - we only help those who have already made an independent decision to become less religious. Leaving the ultra-orthodox world involves tremendous challenges, as those who leave are cut off by their families and communities, and do not have the education needed to get jobs. Hillel is the only organization in Israel dedicated to helping former ultra-orthodox Jews, and as such provides them with a full set of services including psychological counseling, housing, educational scholarships, vocational help, and mentorship. Our goal is to help every single one of our participants lead the lives they have always wanted."
Please donate, this is a major human rights issue.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

Indigenous tribes do not simply die out. They are killed by the actions of so-called civilized nations. Survival International provides
a long list of cases in which a letter from you can and will make a
difference. Please open this link and write at least one letter. This
link will be a permanent feature on our blog and we would be grateful if
you gave it a bit of attention each week. We suggest going down the
list in the order given. The letters are pre-written for you. All you
need to do is send them. It would be nice also if a donation to Survival
International could be forthcoming. We send you to the campaign page and urge you to choose a cause to support. View this video.
In particular, we point out the terrible effects of the "death road" that will cut through 270 km of the Amazon’s most biodiverse and sensitive protected areas.

The Amazon Uncontacted Frontier, a large
area on the Peru-Brazil border that is home to the highest concentration
of uncontacted tribes in the world.

THE STRUGGLE AGAINST SLAVERY

We have added this section to the blog in order to join the struggle
against slavery worldwide. This week we refer you to the the ILO’s Protocol on Forced Labor which is all about modern slavery. We call your
attention to the anti slavery campaign. There you can sign up for action updates.The importance of checking your sellers'
supply chains cannot be overemphasized.
Look for these logos:

Find a campaign to work for. Light must be made to shine in the darkest of places.

WRITE FOR RIGHTS

This is the time of year to take action on human rights in a big way.

Amnesty International offers its Write for Rights program.
Write like someone’s life depends on it. Sometimes a letter can change
someone’s life. That’s the premise of Write for Rights, Amnesty’s global
letter-writing campaign. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest human
rights events.
Every December, Amnesty supporters across the globe will write millions
of letters for those whose basic human rights are being attacked. They
are people like you, continuing a long tradition of writing letters to
right some of the world’s biggest wrongs.

USA

Urgent Action Victory! Texas Court Blocks Execution

On 2 December, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued a stay of execution to John Battaglia, a 61-year-old man who was scheduled to be executed in Texas on 7 December. The stay is for the Court to be able to review the question of his mental competence.

India

Khurram Parvez, a prominent Kashmiri human rights defender, was released from administrative detention on 30 November, five days after a court ruled his detention under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act arbitrary and illegal.

VENEZUELA

Urgent Action Update: Young Men To Be Prosecuted By Military Tribunal

Andrés Moreno Febres-Cordero, Marco Trejo, James Mathison and César Cuellar were granted conditional release in late November after having been arrested for producing a video for the opposition party Primero Justicia. They are worryingly being tried for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression. Please act on their behalf.

CHINA

Liu Feiyue, founder and director of Hubei-based human rights website “Civil Rights and Livelihood Watch” (http://www.msguancha.com), has been detained for subversion and if convicted, could face life imprisonment. He has no access to a lawyer or family and is at risk of torture or other ill-treatment. Please demand information of his whereabouts and call for his release.

KAZAKHSTAN

Save the independent trade union center from forced dissolution.

In recent years, the government of Kazakhstan has been limiting trade union rights and freedoms.
It is bringing various forms of pressure to bear upon trade union organizations and individual activists. Please click and join the protest